SL reads OTIB

[havanatopia]

No amount of poor decisions by a Bristolian, none other, who supports and invests hugely in BCFC deserves some of the abuse he receives. 

And more so, frankly, because he always comes across as deferential and so will more than likely soak up the abuse, even if it hurts, because he understands and appreciates that we are all very passionate people in the west country.

I say keep it respectful but by all means criticise and put your argument across forcefully. That includes booing if you genuinely feel he has failed the club and the supporters with the Johnson appointment and appears to be doing nothing about it. I believe he failed catastrophically in the first place and I with many others said so but that is his prerogative.

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

Steve Lansdown really reads this? Really?

Really?

In which case:

Mr Lansdown: I need you to know that that I really love the fact that that you as a Bristolian  own  BCFC. I love the new stadium that you have given us and you have my thanks that it's so cool.  I'm grateful that you have financed a club which like so many others ( most in fact) that make a thumping great loss. I thank you for investing in the future, I thank you for forgiving the utterly ignorant know- nothings on OTIB who have never made a penny yet believe they know how to run a football club and manage a team and could buy the perfect player for bugger all.

I'm grateful that you keep your head and your dignity whilst all others are losing theirs.

After all you have tried to do  for for sport in Bristol and the community , I wish it was working out better than it is- for you and for us many genuine supporters.

I know you have a really tough decision ahead and bet you're wondering why the hell you invested so much time, money , energy and emotion only to be slagged of by ignorant ingrates.

Managers will come and go, players will come and go but me and many others with more than one brain cell - well, we will hope you just stick around.

 

[Dr Balls]

I would love to believe that SL cares as much about this club as the posters on this forum. Why else would he have put so much money into it? Well partly it's a legacy both for him and for the city, but it's also about finally seeing some return on his investment. With the building of the stadium that is now possible to some extent. Fortunately building projects are relatively easier to achieve and straightforward to manage, although being us, there was still the Ashton Vale saga!

Where SL & Bristol Sport has continually struggled is actually on the pitch, with the glorious exception of a couple of seasons under Johnson Senior and one truly magical season under Cotterill.

Unfortunately out of the 15+ years SL has been at the top of our club, that's not much of a record, and suggests that many of the decisions on managers have not been good. 3 of the appointments have been ex-players, which is a high ratio by any club's standards, 2 of which have never managed before or since, and the latest might not again after his time with us.

Who has been advising SL on this, if anyone? Where are the board in all of this? If they potentially contribute so little, why do we bother with the pretence of having a chairman & vice-chairman, if SL is actually still in charge? Or is that part of the whole issue with him being a tax exile, and only allowed back into the country for so many days per year? That can't really help either, especially if he is dependent on someone else to report to him about what is actually going on, and that person is someone who is personally close to the head coach, i.e. his son.

Look let's be clear we could be much worse off when it comes to owners. He doesn't want to change our name or colours, but you have to say that we have punched so far below our potential weight as the bigger club in the 8th largest city in the country, given the time that he has had in charge. And if you want to look at an even wider level, we are possibly the largest city in Westerm Europe never to have experienced European football. That may have been what prompted the "Europa League within 5 years" comment but unfortunately even the dream of becoming a stable middling second tier club currently seems beyond us. Instead nearly 40 years after our last season in the top flight, we steadfastly remain a 2nd/3rd tier yo-yo club, along with the might of teams like Scunthorpe and Rotherham. Not exactly exalted company to keep, especially given the natural advantages that we have in terms of size of support and just sheer potential that remains unrealised compared to those 2 clubs.

On that level, I remain unconvinced that we will ever reach the Premier League with SL at the top of the club. If we can get it so wrong within 2 years of one of our most successful ever seasons, then that would suggest there is something seriously amiss with the club and the way it's being run. I would love to be proven wrong but experience suggests that for those of us old enough to remember 76-80, those 4 seasons may well be the only ones we ever experience with our club in the top flight.

As it stands, League 1 seems a much more realistic option again next season. And if that is where we will we find ourselves come May 8th, then I for one won't bother with a season card again, despite having had one through previous relegations. It just won't be worth the hassle that is involved in making sure I am not working for our home games, especially as tickets shouldn't be so hard to come by even for any vaguely decent games, and frankly I would be better off spending more of what little spare time I have with my family, rather than having my weekends ruined by the kind of tosh that I have had to witness at Ashton Gate for the past 4 months.

Then to realise that despite having the second worst loss record in the division, including a club record run of consecutive league losses, the head coach still remains in post and has the owner's backing for at least 3 more games whatever happens, is just plain demoralising and depressing in the extreme. And I am sure I am not alone in feeling that way, as hope has been replaced by the looming reality of our current situation.

A part of me still wants to believe but....

[Red-Robbo]

3 hours ago, Jack Dawe said:

Fair points, mate. The only question from me then, would be how the hell did Swansea get it so right with three or four consecutive appointments and reach the highest level?

How do Burnley, with no more support than us, continually outperform us? Same goes for Norwich.

And Reading. And now Brighton. And many other similar size clubs to us (not all of whom have had a very wealthy and generous backer)?

Are they all just lucky with their appointments?

 

How many clubs of our size - 20k stadium, ability to attract 20k crowds - have not played in the top league in the last 25 years? Brighton are one. They have had ground obstacles in that time though. Who else?

Other than Brighton, I cannot think of a club of our size that has not had top flight football, if only for one season (such as Cardiff. They have also played in the FA Cup final, and a League cup final).

Don't give me Huddersfield or Preston - both are smaller. How many clubs with a bigger average than us this season have never played in the Premier League?

 

Generally, size in football matters. There are exceptions, with Bournemouth, Blackpool and one or two others bucking the trend. The large conurbations though tend to dominate, with Bristol being the exception to this. We have failed to convert the dual advantages of 1. A large conurbation and the ability to attract 20k plus crowds, and 2. A wealthy backer into success on the pitch, ie, getting to the top. Yes, we went very close in 2008, but what happened then? It was all built on sand and we sank miserably back to whence we came.

This is a source of much frustration. We promise much, and deliver very little.

 

The one thing I would say in defence of SL here is that he is only one year into having a fit-for-purpose stadium and all the benefits that will bring. But sadly, we are already heading in the wrong direction.

Well yeah, but how do the teams in L1 and L2 - some with huge supports like Sheffield Utd, Coventry and Portsmouth - get it wrong?

Look at the stats: average FL manager tenure 1.23 years. Average City manager tenure in the Lansdown era 1.5 years.

Nothing to get worked up about, but nothing to say he is worse than the average owner. 

Take Swansea out of it and what have you got? Teams making as many flawed appointments as successful ones. Even the "Big 6".

And if we're asking why does a city of Bristol's size not have a more successful/better supported club, that question could be asked well before Lansdown's time. Before he was born even!

[Red-Robbo]

1 hour ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

Don't remember much of that tbh Robbo.

I think many, like me, were astounded when his name first cropped up as a likely candidate, and doubly so when he was actually appointed.

Scroll back, Noggers. A decent looking Oldham side got a draw at AG  and posters were creaming themselves over Johnson's ability. A number of (now very quiet) Otib regulars said he will be our future manager.

[JasonM88]

12 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

Scroll back, Noggers. A decent looking Oldham side got a draw at AG  and posters were creaming themselves over Johnson's ability. A number of (now very quiet) Otib regulars said he will be our future manager.

And they were right, were they not?

[Red-Robbo]

Just now, JasonM88 said:

And they were right, were they not?

Indeed. But they said it because they admired his suitability. Whack back to 2014 and there are a fair number of Otib posters who think LJ was greatness in the making. Scroll back as far as the beginning of October 2016 and you'll find even more posters worried that LJ will be "poached" because he is so good. 

Then cross-reference said posters with their statements now and look up the word hypocrisy.

[JasonM88]

4 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

Indeed. But they said it because they admired his suitability. Whack back to 2014 and there are a fair number of Otib posters who think LJ was greatness in the making. Scroll back as far as the beginning of October 2016 and you'll find even more posters worried that LJ will be "poached" because he is so good. 

Then cross-reference said posters with their statements now and look up the word hypocrisy.

I still think he'll go on to make a good career in football management. He's only 34, insanely young for a football manager. In a perfect world we'd 'loan' him out like you would a young player, and bring him back when he's more experienced and suitable for a job in a ridiculously competitive and nonforgiving league. At the moment it's just too much too early for him, and that's clear to see.

[Ska Junkie]

6 hours ago, hollydog said:

You really are a disrespectful ****t.

Come on then gobshite and all you that liked this post, where is the disrespect? Where is the justification for calling me a c***?

42 seasons and I don't like it. We are sh1ite and I don't like it, our Manager / head coach is out of his depth and I don't like it, we're going down and I don't like it, our owner blames the fans, I don't like it.

I speak my mind / opinion on a fans forum and am called a c*** and you like it?

w*****  all of you. 

Holly dog, 

1. JasonM88

   1 hour ago
2. 

   Marina's Rolls Royce

   2 hours ago
3. 

   DingleRed

   3 hours ago
4. 

   Spoons

   6 hours ago

    

    

 

 

 

 

I'm asking all of you to justify calling me a c*** and liking it! 

Over to you?

1. 

   cidered abroad

   4 hours ago
2. 

   Simez

   4 hours ago
3. 

   kivsy

   7 hours ago
4. 

   BCFC_Mike

   7 hours ago
5. 

   claudehopper

   7 hours ago
6. 

   kevster3

   7 hours ago

 

 

 

Thank you for your likes.

[icegas]

6 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

Let's not forget many of those who now reckon he's a "moron" for employing Lee Johnson and he has "no football sense" and "poor judgement" were themselves suggesting LJ as head coach before his appointment, not to say hailing him as a "future PL manager"  and "a great fit for the club" only a few months ago.

We've seen the same at the appointment of SOD, McInnes, Coppell etc.

Why we expect a stockbroker to have a better football crystal ball than the collective wisdom of Otib, I don't know. 

Even appointing on recommendation from those in the game has no guarantees. Remember LJ was genuinely "a highly regarded young coach". 

Like most people, I think Steve has made a big mistake in his defence of Lee in recent weeks - not to say the contract renewal in January  - but those who suggest a change of ownership will bring us some sort of person who never makes mistakes are "morons" themselves.

We've all got it wrong about managers, why shouldn't the owner?

At least we have a level of financial stability other clubs, including a ragbag outfit north of the Avon, envy.

Sorry mate, but that dig at us is complete bollox!  Our owners are very rich people even if they are not as wealthy as SL ( not many are to be fair)  but to suggest that our club does not have the financial stability that BCFC does is naive. Nither club owes money to any creditor, thus are not in debt and the only way that this would change is if either owner pulled out.

I've said this before, that even as a gashead I respect SL willingness to invest the amount of money he has into a bristol team even if he has done it with you.But apart from getting you a new Gate, does he have really have any clue of what he really is doing at your club? - Im not digging , just asking.

All this Bristol sport B.S. - which like it or not has taken away some of your clubs identity.Look around your new stadium, it a lovely looking, but does it still feel like home now that Bristol sports been created?

What about him chasing £9 million signings mid last season?  From the outside it made no sense..

He seems to egotistical for my liking.

 

 

 

[CotswoldRed]

6 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

Indeed. But they said it because they admired his suitability. Whack back to 2014 and there are a fair number of Otib posters who think LJ was greatness in the making. Scroll back as far as the beginning of October 2016 and you'll find even more posters worried that LJ will be "poached" because he is so good. 

Then cross-reference said posters with their statements now and look up the word hypocrisy.

Maybe they were wrong. I know I'm wrong quite often. 

So, they were wrong, let's do something about it. 

[Bianconeri]

13 hours ago, Lee F said:

He commented on seeing the thread calling him the biggest failure in football on the ITV Westcountry news. Admitted it hurts him to read that.

Question is why? Why read the forum? Why let opinion bother him if he truly feels there is no truth in the statement?

He did openly say LJ will be in charge for Newcastle, Villa and also Burton but would not commit to him being here beyond the end of the season. He mentioned more than once that we are not in the bottom 3. Is that the real tipping point? 

I cant help feeling if it is we will pull the trigger too late to rectify the situation. I am not even sure it isnt already too late. 

 

I am very pro-Lansdown, he's done a lot for this club that is bloody marvellous. My problem is the 'bottom 3' comment, no we're not but, as the North Bristol Vermin found out, you can stay out if the drop zone for nearly all of the season and still go down. 

We could be 4th bottom until the 5th minute of added time in the 46th game and still get relegated. Where does that leave the 'bottom three' statement.

[Ivorguy]

6 hours ago, Dr Balls said:

I would love to believe that SL cares as much about this club as the posters on this forum. Why else would he have put so much money into it? Well partly it's a legacy both for him and for the city, but it's also about finally seeing some return on his investment. With the building of the stadium that is now possible to some extent. Fortunately building projects are relatively easier to achieve and straightforward to manage, although being us, there was still the Ashton Vale saga!

Where SL & Bristol Sport has continually struggled is actually on the pitch, with the glorious exception of a couple of seasons under Johnson Senior and one truly magical season under Cotterill.

Unfortunately out of the 15+ years SL has been at the top of our club, that's not much of a record, and suggests that many of the decisions on managers have not been good. 3 of the appointments have been ex-players, which is a high ratio by any club's standards, 2 of which have never managed before or since, and the latest might not again after his time with us.

Who has been advising SL on this, if anyone? Where are the board in all of this? If they potentially contribute so little, why do we bother with the pretence of having a chairman & vice-chairman, if SL is actually still in charge? Or is that part of the whole issue with him being a tax exile, and only allowed back into the country for so many days per year? That can't really help either, especially if he is dependent on someone else to report to him about what is actually going on, and that person is someone who is personally close to the head coach, i.e. his son.

Look let's be clear we could be much worse off when it comes to owners. He doesn't want to change our name or colours, but you have to say that we have punched so far below our potential weight as the bigger club in the 8th largest city in the country, given the time that he has had in charge. And if you want to look at an even wider level, we are possibly the largest city in Westerm Europe never to have experienced European football. That may have been what prompted the "Europa League within 5 years" comment but unfortunately even the dream of becoming a stable middling second tier club currently seems beyond us. Instead nearly 40 years after our last season in the top flight, we steadfastly remain a 2nd/3rd tier yo-yo club, along with the might of teams like Scunthorpe and Rotherham. Not exactly exalted company to keep, especially given the natural advantages that we have in terms of size of support and just sheer potential that remains unrealised compared to those 2 clubs.

On that level, I remain unconvinced that we will ever reach the Premier League with SL at the top of the club. If we can get it so wrong within 2 years of one of our most successful ever seasons, then that would suggest there is something seriously amiss with the club and the way it's being run. I would love to be proven wrong but experience suggests that for those of us old enough to remember 76-80, those 4 seasons may well be the only ones we ever experience with our club in the top flight.

As it stands, League 1 seems a much more realistic option again next season. And if that is where we will we find ourselves come May 8th, then I for one won't bother with a season card again, despite having had one through previous relegations. It just won't be worth the hassle that is involved in making sure I am not working for our home games, especially as tickets shouldn't be so hard to come by even for any vaguely decent games, and frankly I would be better off spending more of what little spare time I have with my family, rather than having my weekends ruined by the kind of tosh that I have had to witness at Ashton Gate for the past 4 months.

Then to realise that despite having the second worst loss record in the division, including a club record run of consecutive league losses, the head coach still remains in post and has the owner's backing for at least 3 more games whatever happens, is just plain demoralising and depressing in the extreme. And I am sure I am not alone in feeling that way, as hope has been replaced by the looming reality of our current situation.

A part of me still wants to believe but....

What a splendid contribution

[Jack Dawe]

6 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

Well yeah, but how do the teams in L1 and L2 - some with huge supports like Sheffield Utd, Coventry and Portsmouth - get it wrong?

Look at the stats: average FL manager tenure 1.23 years. Average City manager tenure in the Lansdown era 1.5 years.

Nothing to get worked up about, but nothing to say he is worse than the average owner. 

Take Swansea out of it and what have you got? Teams making as many flawed appointments as successful ones. Even the "Big 6".

And if we're asking why does a city of Bristol's size not have a more successful/better supported club, that question could be asked well before Lansdown's time. Before he was born even!

That's my point. Stephen Lansdown is an average owner. Despite game-changing wealth and a readiness to use it, Bristol City are no further forward where it counts, on the pitch and in the league table.

Sadly, Steve Lansdown at Bristol City is "nothing to get worked up about."

[Northern Red]

7 hours ago, 8menhadadream said:

Come on then gobshite and all you that liked this post, where is the disrespect? Where is the justification for calling me a c***?

42 seasons and I don't like it. We are sh1ite and I don't like it, our Manager / head coach is out of his depth and I don't like it, we're going down and I don't like it, our owner blames the fans, I don't like it.

I speak my mind / opinion on a fans forum and am called a c*** and you like it?

w*****  all of you. 

Holly dog, 

1. JasonM88

   1 hour ago
2. 

   Marina's Rolls Royce

   2 hours ago
3. 

   DingleRed

   3 hours ago
4. 

   Spoons

   6 hours ago

    

    

 

 

 

 

I'm asking all of you to justify calling me a c*** and liking it! 

Over to you?

1. 

   cidered abroad

   4 hours ago
2. 

   Simez

   4 hours ago
3. 

   kivsy

   7 hours ago
4. 

   BCFC_Mike

   7 hours ago
5. 

   claudehopper

   7 hours ago
6. 

   kevster3

   7 hours ago

 

 

 

Thank you for your likes.

Someone had a heavy night last night then....

[CotswoldRed]

8 minutes ago, Northern Red said:

Someone had a heavy night last night then....

He's got a point. 

[SedRA]

7 hours ago, icegas said:

Sorry mate, but that dig at us is complete bollox!  Our owners are very rich people even if they are not as wealthy as SL ( not many are to be fair)  but to suggest that our club does not have the financial stability that BCFC does is naive. Nither club owes money to any creditor, thus are not in debt and the only way that this would change is if either owner pulled out.

I've said this before, that even as a gashead I respect SL willingness to invest the amount of money he has into a bristol team even if he has done it with you.But apart from getting you a new Gate, does he have really have any clue of what he really is doing at your club? - Im not digging , just asking.

All this Bristol sport B.S. - which like it or not has taken away some of your clubs identity.Look around your new stadium, it a lovely looking, but does it still feel like home now that Bristol sports been created?

What about him chasing £9 million signings mid last season?  From the outside it made no sense..

He seems to egotistical for my liking.

 

 

 

I can't speak for anyone else but it feels like home to me. I think we've been particularly lucky to keep our old location and parts of stands whilst getting a massive upgrade to a modern stadium, rather than moving to a new build identikit. There are many footballing issues which SL can be criticised for but the stadium is not one. 

[Ivorguy]

14 hours ago, Der no.2 said:

Stevie

I've one piece of advice - do the right thing.

Trouble is he doesn't seem to know his left from his right where City is concerned

[ashton_fan]

11 hours ago, tinman85 said:

Such a sad time for the club. It should have been much better. Unfortunately SL will never fund the very best players and managers at this level to take us up. We will never get to the premier league unless things change drastically and we go for a different model. Such a shame but the current set up is poor. LJ, JP and DH are sub standard coaches. League table does not lie. 

SL's consistently funded signings for his managers as well as the stadium so I don't know what you're talking about. There are plenty of managers in the Championship who ARE under-funded, eg Owen Coyle at Blackburn was given £250K to spend after selling £10M of players, that's what you call lack of funding. Regarding managers and top players the reason they don't come here is not down to money, it's because we're seen as a backwater out of the mainstream and they will always have better options, so we have to go with managers/players who are up and coming and have potential. If we can get to the Prem one day then people will look at us differently but until then we have to do the best we can with what we've got. 

[Major Isewater]

16 hours ago, Spoons said:

Because before he took over at bath city he was working with city u18's. Plus we have loaned him 4 players this season including max o Leary and Shaun mCclusky . Doesn't want to burn the bridge.

He is gentlemanly enough not to put the boot into a fellow coach who is struggling but he couldn't help but tell the truth as regards Matthew's awful positioning and attitude , the fact that players were stood still whilst the opposition waltzed through us , that there were no crosses coming into our 6'5" international forward and so on and so forth .

I felt sorry for him , he had a huge dilemma , tell the truth or gloss over the whole sorry spectacle. I'm not sure he'll want to be back soon to add his wisdom to our matchday commentary.

[Major Isewater]

40 minutes ago, ashton_fan said:

SL's consistently funded signings for his managers as well as the stadium so I don't know what you're talking about. There are plenty of managers in the Championship who ARE under-funded, eg Owen Coyle at Blackburn was given £250K to spend after selling £10M of players, that's what you call lack of funding. Regarding managers and top players the reason they don't come here is not down to money, it's because we're seen as a backwater out of the mainstream and they will always have better options, so we have to go with managers/players who are up and coming and have potential. If we can get to the Prem one day then people will look at us differently but until then we have to do the best we can with what we've got. 

I don't totally agree with you managers and top players go where the money is first and foremost . These lads are not fans they are professionals with a career of fifteen years , if they're Lucky, in which to set themselves up for life after they stop playing.

Did ' top players ' prefer Man City to Man Utd before their Arab riches ? Do players really think that going to play in China or the USA is going to improve their game or give them a chance to make history and win the top prizes in the game ?

If we pay them they will come . In our first division days we were, and probably had to be , one of the top paying clubs in the league.

I seriously doubt that Kodjia dreamt of playing for Bristol City when he was kicking a ball about with his mates on the Champs Elysee so why did he come ?

I think ,in defence of SL , that he has got many things right ,sadly the key element is a successful first team and despite his investment in players transfer fees and wages the man who he has put in charge isn't up to the task .

 

 

[ashton_fan]

1 minute ago, Major Isewater said:

I don't totally agree with you managers and top players go where the money is first and foremost . These lads are not fans they are professionals with a career of fifteen years , if they're Lucky, in which to set themselves up for life after they stop playing.

Did ' top players ' prefer Man City to Man Utd before their Arab riches ? Do players really think that going to play in China or the USA is going to improve their game or give them a chance to make history and win the top prizes in the game ?

If we pay them they will come . In our first division days we were, and probably had to be , one of the top paying clubs in the league.

I seriously doubt that Kodjia dreamt of playing for Bristol City when he was kicking a ball about with his mates on the Champs Elysee so why did he come ?

I think ,in defence of SL , that he has got many things right ,sadly the key element is a successful first team and despite his investment in players transfer fees and wages the man who he has put in charge isn't up to the task .

 

 

So why didn't Dwight Gayle come to us when the money was offered?

[Ska Junkie]

2 hours ago, Northern Red said:

Someone had a heavy night last night then....

Not at all NR. It was annoying me, I was awake, so I got out of bed to vent my spleen and feel better for it.

We may not agree with other posters opinions at times, but I will not, normally, resort to personal name calling. It reeks of ignorance IMO. 

Attack the post by all means but to call someone a c*** for having an opinion different to your own is plain crass and unnecessary as far as I'm concerned.

[Major Isewater]

7 minutes ago, ashton_fan said:

So why didn't Dwight Gayle come to us when the money was offered?

Not enough .

[oldstandrobin]

10 hours ago, Dr Balls said:

I would love to believe that SL cares as much about this club as the posters on this forum. Why else would he have put so much money into it? Well partly it's a legacy both for him and for the city, but it's also about finally seeing some return on his investment. With the building of the stadium that is now possible to some extent. Fortunately building projects are relatively easier to achieve and straightforward to manage, although being us, there was still the Ashton Vale saga!

Where SL & Bristol Sport has continually struggled is actually on the pitch, with the glorious exception of a couple of seasons under Johnson Senior and one truly magical season under Cotterill.

Unfortunately out of the 15+ years SL has been at the top of our club, that's not much of a record, and suggests that many of the decisions on managers have not been good. 3 of the appointments have been ex-players, which is a high ratio by any club's standards, 2 of which have never managed before or since, and the latest might not again after his time with us.

Who has been advising SL on this, if anyone? Where are the board in all of this? If they potentially contribute so little, why do we bother with the pretence of having a chairman & vice-chairman, if SL is actually still in charge? Or is that part of the whole issue with him being a tax exile, and only allowed back into the country for so many days per year? That can't really help either, especially if he is dependent on someone else to report to him about what is actually going on, and that person is someone who is personally close to the head coach, i.e. his son.

Look let's be clear we could be much worse off when it comes to owners. He doesn't want to change our name or colours, but you have to say that we have punched so far below our potential weight as the bigger club in the 8th largest city in the country, given the time that he has had in charge. And if you want to look at an even wider level, we are possibly the largest city in Westerm Europe never to have experienced European football. That may have been what prompted the "Europa League within 5 years" comment but unfortunately even the dream of becoming a stable middling second tier club currently seems beyond us. Instead nearly 40 years after our last season in the top flight, we steadfastly remain a 2nd/3rd tier yo-yo club, along with the might of teams like Scunthorpe and Rotherham. Not exactly exalted company to keep, especially given the natural advantages that we have in terms of size of support and just sheer potential that remains unrealised compared to those 2 clubs.

On that level, I remain unconvinced that we will ever reach the Premier League with SL at the top of the club. If we can get it so wrong within 2 years of one of our most successful ever seasons, then that would suggest there is something seriously amiss with the club and the way it's being run. I would love to be proven wrong but experience suggests that for those of us old enough to remember 76-80, those 4 seasons may well be the only ones we ever experience with our club in the top flight.

As it stands, League 1 seems a much more realistic option again next season. And if that is where we will we find ourselves come May 8th, then I for one won't bother with a season card again, despite having had one through previous relegations. It just won't be worth the hassle that is involved in making sure I am not working for our home games, especially as tickets shouldn't be so hard to come by even for any vaguely decent games, and frankly I would be better off spending more of what little spare time I have with my family, rather than having my weekends ruined by the kind of tosh that I have had to witness at Ashton Gate for the past 4 months.

Then to realise that despite having the second worst loss record in the division, including a club record run of consecutive league losses, the head coach still remains in post and has the owner's backing for at least 3 more games whatever happens, is just plain demoralising and depressing in the extreme. And I am sure I am not alone in feeling that way, as hope has been replaced by the looming reality of our current situation.

A part of me still wants to believe but....

Brilliant Post Doc, sums up how a lot of us of years of support feel. I believe like a lot of people you have the best of intentions Steve but it ends when it comes to appointing (and keeping) managers. For you it is an investment and you can swan off spending your money as you like but for a lot of us it has been our INHERITED life passed down from father to son and daughters, enduring banter and taunts from friends of ours who support other teams, part of our social make up, and generally being a major part of our life. If you can see something we cant, then we should all apologise profusely at the end of the season for your faith in Johnson, sadly I dont think that will happen and another era will re-commence at Ashton Gate

[Jerseybean]

While, unfortunately, I have never had the privilege of meeting Steve Lansdown, I do share a few things with him; we were both born in Bristol in the 1950s, we both now live in the Channel Islands and we are both long-standing and totally committed fans of Bristol City. One, if not both of us, regularly read and contribute to this forum.

The similarities, as far as I know, end there!

He is an incredibly successful businessman who, as the founder, has invested hugely in Bristol Sport as well as being the majority share holder at BCFC he is also the majority shareholder of Bristol Rugby and Bristol Flyers. He strikes me as a shy, reserved almost bashful man who does not naturally enjoy the spotlight.

So I have been thinking about what informs his decision-making and why I believe he will remain faithful to LJ, at least until the end of the season.

In his business decisions I suggest he:

1) Plans for the long-term
2) Is prepared to take considered risks
3) Surrounds himself with committed and supportive colleagues

As much as he is a fan of BCFC it is for him also a long-term business venture, so it seems reasonable to suggest that his business acumen and experience will inform his actions at BCFC.

With these three hunches in mind I conclude SL will continue to stand by LJ. Furthermore, I'm sure his philosophy towards business will also be critical when the day does come to replace LJ. Therefore, I think LJ will only be replaced when somebody, who is prepared to accept the long-term approach that Mr Lansdown is investing in, becomes available. Which is unlikely until the end of the season. Appointing somebody who, like LJ, buys into the project is I suggest fundamental to SL.

If I am even close to what might be going on in Mr Lansdown's thinking then the ideal scenario this season would be incremental improvements on the pitch as we gradually move towards becoming a consistently strong Championship side. As we know this has not happened this season, although things did start off rather well. 

Like all City fans SL wants success, however, my gut-feeling is he will continue to back LJ despite our appallingly results. As SL has noted (on more than one occasion) we have been decent in patches in most games this season.  He, along with all City fans, will hope that we can secure survival in the Championship and then I think he will look afresh to see which managers, who are prepared to follow the strategy set out for the longer-term, are available.  

 

 

[oldstandrobin]

2 minutes ago, Jerseybean said:

While, unfortunately, I have never had the privilege of meeting Steve Lansdown, I do share a few things with him; we were both born in Bristol in the 1950s, we both now live in the Channel Islands and we are both long-standing and totally committed fans of Bristol City. One, if not both of us, regularly read and contribute to this forum.

The similarities, as far as I know, end there!

He is an incredibly successful businessman who, as the founder, has invested hugely in Bristol Sport as well as being the majority share holder at BCFC he is also the majority shareholder of Bristol Rugby and Bristol Flyers. He strikes me as a shy, reserved almost bashful man who does not naturally enjoy the spotlight.

So I have been thinking about what informs his decision-making and why I believe he will remain faithful to LJ, at least until the end of the season.

In his business decisions I suggest he:

1) Plans for the long-term
2) Is prepared to take considered risks
3) Surrounds himself with committed and supportive colleagues

As much as he is a fan of BCFC it is for him also a long-term business venture, so it seems reasonable to suggest that his business acumen and experience will inform his actions at BCFC.

With these three hunches in mind I conclude SL will continue to stand by LJ. Furthermore, I'm sure his philosophy towards business will also be critical when the day does come to replace LJ. Therefore, I think LJ will only be replaced when somebody, who is prepared to accept the long-term approach that Mr Lansdown is investing in, becomes available. Which is unlikely until the end of the season. Appointing somebody who, like LJ, buys into the project is I suggest fundamental to SL.

If I am even close to what might be going on in Mr Lansdown's thinking then the ideal scenario this season would be incremental improvements on the pitch as we gradually move towards becoming a consistently strong Championship side. As we know this has not happened this season, although things did start off rather well. 

Like all City fans SL wants success, however, my gut-feeling is he will continue to back LJ despite our appallingly results. As SL has noted (on more than one occasion) we have been decent in patches in most games this season.  He, along with all City fans, will hope that we can secure survival in the Championship and then I think he will look afresh to see which managers, who are prepared to follow the strategy set out for the longer-term, are available.  

 

 

Like your thinking JB, but the one flaw in ze masterplan is that if we get relegated, promotion back to where we are now is not assured for any period of time, you forget that a lot of talented players ( who aint playing for us at the moment- I wonder why !!!) will be off and the rebuild ONCE AGAIN starts, you are a boomer like a lot of us and we have seen it since the 50's as did our parents from the 30's and our grand-parents from the 10's, although they were sat on their dads knee and told of how we only lost by one goal (sounds familiar !!!!!!!) at The Crystal Palace to a certain Manchester United in the Cup Final.

[Bazooka Joe]

19 hours ago, AshtonG666 said:

He is going to round us all up and sue us for slander 

C.mon have a go if you think you're rich enough!

[Bazooka Joe]

Steve, if you're reading this and you need a Minder if we get relegated ..... don't call me.

[Cov 77]

20 hours ago, Lee F said:

He commented on seeing the thread calling him the biggest failure in football on the ITV Westcountry news. Admitted it hurts him to read that.

Question is why? Why read the forum? Why let opinion bother him if he truly feels there is no truth in the statement?

He did openly say LJ will be in charge for Newcastle, Villa and also Burton but would not commit to him being here beyond the end of the season. He mentioned more than once that we are not in the bottom 3. Is that the real tipping point? 

I cant help feeling if it is we will pull the trigger too late to rectify the situation. I am not even sure it isnt already too late. 

 

So he takes notice of one poster on a forum but not 17,000 bloody angry fans in the ground !